Chopard

BaselWorld 2018 Chopard: Pre-Basel New Models

Mar 14, 2018,04:02 AM

L.U.C Quattro

The contemporary gentleman’s icon

Chopard introduces a new interpretation of the emblematic L.U.C Quattro watch, a stellar member of the L.U.C collection family. Driven by a L.U.C movement with a nine-day power reserve, COSC-certified L.U.C Calibre 98.01-L, it is synonymous with contemporary elegance. The new vertical silver-toned dial makes a chic match with the 18-carat rose gold case. Complete with new calfskin leather straps, its distinguished style disrupts conventions and offers a modern take on aesthetic purity through subtle details creating an edgy, sophisticated and distinctive appeal.

The L.U.C Quattro is one of the major watches in the L.U.C collection. This pillar of the Chopard Manufacture production uses a uniquely slim high-end calibre offering a nine-day power reserve. Even aside from its horological accomplishments, the new L.U.C Quattro is an aesthete’s dream, clearly designed for the contemporary gentleman. The modern spirit of its redesigned dials and new straps, together with its “Poinçon de Genève” certification, make this a chronometer to be worn proudly, and admired.

Purity meets elegance

Spurred by the success encountered by the new design of its L.U.C XP and XPS collections in 2017, Chopard is extending their aesthetic principle to one of its stellar models. The L.U.C Quattro thus now welcomes two pared-down dials entirely in tune with the times. The first is silver-toned and vertical satin-brushed across its entire surface, swept over by a set of blued hands.

This timepiece features the signature L.U.C Quattro 6 o’clock subdial, containing both small seconds and a pointer-type date indication. Its graduations have been refined and simplified. Exactly opposite, at 12 o’clock, sits the nine-day power-reserve display also emblematic of the L.U.C Quattro, shaped like a fan unfurled over a 180° angle. The minute circle is punctuated by two large 3 and 9 o’clock Arabic numerals, and by blued applied hour-markers. Their shape is an extrapolation of the Dauphine-fusée type hands typical of the L.U.C collections, enhanced in this instance with Super-LumiNova.

Sophisticated materials

The case of the L.U.C Quattro measures 43 mm in diameter and is crafted from 18-carat rose gold. Its caseband is satin-brushed, its bezel polished and its back hand-engraved. The scrupulous attention required by the “Poinçon de Genève” quality hallmark has been lavished on this model that comes fitted with a strap featuring styling and material making their first appearance in the L.U.C collection. The bracelet is made of woven-effect blue calfskin leather with an alligator leather lining.

Exceptional mechanism

At the heart of the L.U.C Quattro beats one of the original movements developed and produced by Chopard Manufacture, the Calibre 98.01-L. It is distinguished by the patented Quattro technology. Its two pairs of stacked barrels endow this certified chronometer with a maximum 216 hours of autonomy, while keeping it surprisingly slim at just 3.7 mm thick. This in turn gives the L.U.C Quattro a peerlessly slender and elegant profile.

Chopard’s in-house approach to watch manufacturing

Chopard is a family-owned Maison imbued with a strong sense of independence. The various stages involved in making L.U.C watches are conducted within the group’s own production sites in Meyrin and Fleurier. Movement development, design of the finished product, gold casting, stamping and machining of cases, movement parts and bracelets, traditional hand-crafted decorations, surface treatments, polishing, assembly, adjustment and quality control: this entire range of watch production operations is fully mastered in-house by Chopard and applied to the creation of each L.U.C watch.

Technical Details

L.U.C Quattro

Case:

18-carat rose gold

Total diameter 43 mm

Thickness 8.84 mm

Water resistance 50 metres

18-carat rose gold crown with L.U.C logo 6.50 mm

Vertical satin-brushed caseband

Glareproofed sapphire crystal

Polished bezel and case-back, hand-engraved case-back

Exhibition caseback fitted with glarerproofed sapphire crystal

Movement:

Mechanical hand-wound movement L.U.C 98.01-L

Number of components 223

Diameter 28.60 mm

Thickness 3.70 mm

Number of jewels 39

Frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz)

Power reserve approx. 216 hours (9 days)

Four barrels – Quattro technology

Bridge adorned with Côtes de Genève motif

Swan’s neck adjustment

Balance-spring with Phillips terminal curve

Chronometer-certified by the COSC

“Poincon de Genève” quality hallmark

Dial and hands:

Vertical satin-brushed silver-toned dial

Gilded hour-markers

Blued hours and minutes hands painted with Super-LumiNova

Blued baton-type hands for the small seconds, date and power reserve

Functions:

Hours, minutes

Small seconds and date at 6 o’clock

Power-reserve indicator at 12 o’clock

Strap and buckle:

Blue calfskin leather with brown alligator leather lining and aged brown calfskin leather with gilded loops

Polished 18-carat rose gold pin buckle

Ref. 161926-5004 – in 18-carat rose gold with silver-toned dial

Limited edition of 50 pieces

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Mille Miglia Racing Colours

Racing in style

Rosso Corsa, Speed Silver, British Racing Green, Vintage Blue and Speed Yellow were the colours allocated to the various nations competing in the world of motor racing. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the partnership between Chopard and Mille Miglia, the Maison is presenting a new collection composed of five Mille Miglia Racing Colours watches. A re-edition of an historical Chopard collection featuring unique dials and intended for gentlemen drivers and collectors. They pay tribute to the heyday of motorsports and to an exclusive race, the Mille Miglia, widely referred to as “la corsa la più bella del mondo”.

Chopard and the Mille Miglia, bound by passion or more than 30 years

For 30 years, the hearts of Chopard and Mille Miglia have been beating as one, echoing a shared love of fine mechanics and performance born from the personal passion for classic cars nurtured by Chopard Co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele. He is both a discerning connoisseur of collector’s cars and an accomplished driver. For the past 30 years, he has been exercising his skills at the wheel of the most prestigious classic cars, with which he annually competes in the famous race. The now indivisible ties, first established in 1988 when Chopard become partner and official timekeeper of the Mille Miglia, inspired an eponymous watch collection presented that same year. The prestigious annual endurance rally sees more than 400 historical cars covering an enchanting one thousand-mile route from Brescia to Rome and back. This legendary competition has led to the creation of iconic watches bearing the Chopard signature.

Legendary colours

National colours for motor racing were first attributed in the 1910s. In order to identify the nationality of the competing drivers, one colour was allocated to each country. Bright red Rosso Corsa for the Italians, British racing green for the United Kingdom, grey-white for the German “silver arrows”, yellow for the Belgians as in their national flag, and finally blue for the French Bugattis and Talbots.

This provides a valuable explanation behind the historical colours of various speed machines. The fact that Ferraris are red and Aston Martins are green is no coincidence, instead stemming from the earliest great races, of which the Mille Miglia was one of the most popular.

Dashboard instrument

This collection comprising five different colours is an opportunity for unconditional fans of the Maison to acquire a collector’s model and to match their outfits with one of these dials.. or with the bodywork of their car. An original means of mingling two consuming and often shared passions for fine watchmaking and historical racing cars.

These Mille Miglia Racing Colours are finely crafted 42 mm chronographs assembled by the Chopard master-watchmakers in 300-piece limited series for each dial colour. Their calibre beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and is COSC-certified, ensuring chronometer-worthy precision throughout the 42 hours of its power reserve. The Mille Miglia Racing Colours chronographs are inspired by the cars that competed in the Mille Miglia between 1927 and 1940. The dials display optimal legibility thanks to broad Arabic numerals that are luminescent at night, as are the hands. The slim cursive fonts, as well as the counters, are inspired by the typical dashboards of the late 1920s and stand out by their silver-toned colour. The sweep-seconds hand features a bright red tip to tick off the precious seconds of the race. The arrow-shaped Mille Miglia logo appears at 12 o’clock in the heart of the dial. A successful blend of precision, comfort and elegance, these watches are authentic auxiliary instruments for drivers hurtling along Italian roads, enabling them to race in true style. The chronograph functions serving to measure short times are complemented by the tachymeter scale, which is ideal for measuring average speeds, along with a date display.

Water-resistant and luminescent

Although less common in Spring when the Mille Miglia takes place, rain can sometimes play its part in the race, in making the 50-metre water resistance of this watch can prove particularly useful. In rainy conditions, mean hourly speed is never quite the same, and some teams end up finishing the race at night. In such cases, the luminescent hands help competitors keep track of the tachymeter scale surrounding the hour-markers, without taking their eyes off the road.

The new Mille Miglia Racing Colours symbolise their owners’ authentic passion for racing and classic cars: a passion that a true gentleman driver will never relinquish.

Technical Details

Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph Racing Colours Edition

Five steel 300-piece limited editions

Case:

Steel

Total diameter 42.00 mm

Thickness 12.67 mm

Water resistance 50 metres

Screw-lock steel crown with steering wheel emblem 7.50 mm

Polished steel bezel

Glareproofed sapphire crystal

Steel pushers

Exhibition case-back with screws, Mille Miglia logo around the rim and special transfer featuring the traditional racing colours of the various nations competing in motorsports

Movement:

Mechanical self-winding chronograph

Total diameter 28.60 mm

Thickness 6.10 mm

Number of jewels 37

Frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz)

Power reserve approx. 42 hours

Chronometer-certified by the COSC

Dial and hands:

Lacquered or circular satin-brushed dial bearing the traditional racing colours of the various nations competing in motorsports

Rosso Corsa for Italy

Speed Silver for Germany

British Racing Green for the United Kingdom

Vintage Blue for France

Speed Yellow for Belgium

White or black transfers for the minute track

Black transfers for the tachymeter scale

Red Mille Migla logo

Arabic numerals painted with Super-LumiNova

Silver-toned hours, minutes and seconds hands

Rhodium-plated baton-type hands for the hours and minutes, painted with Super-LumiNova

Rhodium-plated red-tipped sweep-seconds hand

Functions:

Hours, minutes, seconds

Hours, minutes and seconds counters at 6, 9 and 3 o’clock respectively

Date window between 4 and 5 o’clock

Strap and buckle:

Calfskin leather strap with stitching reflecting the racing colours of the various competing nations

Rubber lining inspired by 1960s Dunlop tyre tread

Polished steel pin buckle

Ref. 168589-3008 – in steel with Rossa Corsa dial